The Baseball Forward Podcast

Ep. 11 | Josh Cathcart, Hitting Done Right

Join hosts Ross Hawley and Jim Schwanke as they elevate the next generation of ballplayers and coaches.
On today’s episode, Ross sits down with Josh Cathcart, owner and founder of Hitting Done Right. Josh is one of the most highly sought after hitting instructors in the country and has an intense passion for the game of baseball and coaching. Here’s his conversation with Josh Cathcart.
Podcast Highlights:
4:35 Josh talks about his baseball upbringing.
10:45 Josh talks about how the game has given back to him.
14:10 Josh discussed the elements of being a good coach.
19:40 Josh talks about the rewards of a being a coach.
26:35 Josh discusses what it takes to be a good hitter.
35:10 Josh talks about how hitting is messy.
42:05 Josh gives baseball advice.
Follow Josh Cathcart on social media @hitting_done_right_hdr and visit https://hittingdoneright.com/ for more information and content.

Ep. 10 | Todd Coburn, The Catching Guy

Join hosts Ross Hawley and Jim Schwanke as they elevate the next generation of ballplayers and coaches.
 
On today’s episode, Ross sits down with Todd Coburn, The Catching Guy. From what made him pursue a life in baseball, to the importance of mental preparation and his advice to elevate the next generation of ballplayers, here is his conversation with Todd Coburn, The Catching Guy.
Podcast Highlights:
3:30 Todd talks about how he fell in love with baseball.
7:40 Todd talks about deciding on baseball for a career.
11:15 What is it about coaching players that matters to Todd.
16:30 Todd talks about how he has coped with ADHD.
23:00 Todd discussed what it takes to be a catcher.
27:00 What most people do not understand about catching.
36:05 Best baseball advice Todd has received.
Follow Todd Coburn on social media @TheCatchingGuy or visit thecatchingguy.com for information on training with Coach Todd.
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Ep. 9 | Dusty Hart, Blinn College

Join hosts Ross Hawley and Jim Schwanke as they elevate the next generation of ballplayers and coaches.
On this episode, Ross sits down with Dusty Hart, Head Baseball Coach at Blinn College in Texas. From his reflections of Blinn's 2024 NJCAA National Championship run, to discussing his mentors and love for baseball, here is my conversation with Dusty Hart.
Podcast Highlights:
02:30 Coach Hart reflects on the 2024 National Championship.
10:05 Coach Hart discusses what recruiting looks like after winning it all.
14:05 Coach Hart talks about the current climate of college baseball.
20:15 Coach Hart talks about where his love of the game developed.
30:30 Coach Hart gives a younger version of himself advice.
36:50 Coach Hart defines success as a baseball player.
42:00 Coach Hart talks about the emotions of the title run.
46:30 A speed round of questions with Coach Hart.
Follow Dusty Hart on X @DustyHart and Blinn College Baseball @BlinnBaseball.
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Ep. 8 | Pat Day, Ranger College

Join hosts Ross Hawley and Jim Schwanke as they elevate the next generation of ballplayers and coaches.
 
On this episode, Ross sits down with Pat Day, Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at Ranger College in Texas. From what he wishes he would’ve known sooner in his career, to the importance of mental preparation, to his advice for the younger generation of ballplayers, here is our conversation with Pat Day.
 
Podcast Highlights:
02:20 Pat talks about his relationship with Ross.
07:30 Pat talks about transferring from a NCAA D1 school to a NAIA program.
12:05 Winning matters. What advice would Pat given himself as a player.
16:15 Pat talks about what it takes to be a coach.
25:30 Being accessible matter to your players.
32:00 Having the skill and having what it takes are different things.
39:00 Be realistic with the recruiting process.
45:05 Speed round with Pat.
Follow Pat Day on X @stpattyday_6 and the Ranger College Baseball team @RangerBaseball_.
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Ep. 7 | CJ Beatty, The Baseball Motivator

Join hosts Ross Hawley and Jim Schwanke as they elevate the next generation of ballplayers and coaches.
CJ Beatty, The Baseball Motivator, joins us on this episode. Owner of The Motivator Brands & Beatty Enterprises, CJ is one of the most sought after motivational speakers around. In this episode, CJ and I discuss his baseball background, what motivates him, advice for players and much more. Follow CJ Beatty on Instagram @cjbeatty44 and Change Your Life!
The Intro
04:10 Motivating high school kids.
08:40 Importance of coaches and teachers using social media.
12:05 How does CJ connect and motivate youngsters.
19:10 What about baseball captured CJ.
24:00 Specific advice for a struggling high school player.
31:00 How to have balance in life.
35:55 The best baseball advice CJ ever received.
47:00 CJ talks about facing Chris Sale.
52:57 CJ talks about being drafted.
54:40 What CJ would do to improve the game of baseball.
Follow us social media @BaseballFwd and @RossHawley39. Visit www.baseballforward.com to join the movement!

Ep. 6 | Gary Ward, Oklahoma State

Join hosts Ross Hawley and Jim Schwanke as they elevate the next generation of ballplayers and coaches. In this episode, the legendary Coach Gary Ward talks shop with Ross and Jim.
 
Gary Ward was the head baseball coach at Oklahoma State from 1978 to 1996, compiling a record of 953–313–1. Ward won 16 Big-8 championships at OSU, including 14 in a row from 1982 to 1995. He led his team to 18 40-win seasons, and 12 times his teams finished in the top 10. He led the Cowboys to 10 CWS appearances. He later became the head baseball coach at New Mexico State. During his tenure, he became only the 24th coach in college baseball history to gain 1,000 career wins. Coach Ward was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008.
 
Follow us social media @BaseballFwd and @RossHawley39. Visit www.baseballforward.com to join the movement!

Ep. 5 | Kole Strayhorn, Former MiLB RHP

Join hosts Ross Hawley and Jim Schwanke as they elevate the next generation of ballplayers and coaches. In this episode, Ross talks with an old teammate and friend, former MiLB RHP Kole Strayhorn.
Episode Highlights:
02:15 Ross and Kole catch up.
05:40 Kole discusses his love for the game, early in life.
09:05 Kole talks about the pressure of being a high round draft pick.
15:15 What does Kole wish he would've known then, what he knows now.
19:45 Kole talks about failure in baseball.
23:30 Kole's message to younger players and how to handle failure.
33:00 Kole gives his advice to young pitchers learning the game.
47:25 The best baseball advice Kole received.
48:25 Kole's speed round of questions.
 
Follow us social media @BaseballFwd and @RossHawley39. Visit www.baseballforward.com to join the movement!
 

Ep. 4 | Topic: Practice Plans

Join hosts Ross Hawley and Jim Schwanke as they elevate the next generation of ballplayers and coaches. The topic of this episode: Practice Plans
Highlights from this episode
03:00 Winning the last game starts with the 1st practice.
06:30 Structuring a 2-hour, outdoor practice.
09:15 How self-toss fungos develop young players in practice.
12:30 Advice for coaches hitting fungos.
19:00 Breaking down a 2-hour practice into 3 segments.
41:00 Structuring a two-team practice.
47:35 A summary of the 3 segments of practice.
49:05 The difference between team offense and individual offense.
Follow us social media @BaseballFwd and @RossHawley39. Visit www.baseballforward.com to join the movement!

Ep. 3 | Guest: Gary Ward, Oklahoma State

Join hosts Ross Hawley and Jim Schwanke as they elevate the next generation of ballplayers and coaches. In this episode, the legendary Coach Gary Ward talks shop with Ross and Jim.
 
Gary Ward was the head baseball coach at Oklahoma State from 1978 to 1996, compiling a record of 953–313–1. Ward won 16 Big-8 championships at OSU, including 14 in a row from 1982 to 1995. He led his team to 18 40-win seasons, and 12 times his teams finished in the top 10. He led the Cowboys to 10 CWS appearances. He later became the head baseball coach at New Mexico State. During his tenure, he became only the 24th coach in college baseball history to gain 1,000 career wins. Coach Ward was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008.
 
Follow us social media @BaseballFwd and @RossHawley39. Visit www.baseballforward.com to join the movement!

Ep. 2 | Gary Ward, Oklahoma State

Join hosts Ross Hawley and Jim Schwanke as they elevate the next generation of ballplayers and coaches. In this episode, the legendary Coach Gary Ward talks shop with Ross.
 
Gary Ward was the head baseball coach at Oklahoma State from 1978 to 1996, compiling a record of 953–313–1. Ward won 16 Big-8 championships at OSU, including 14 in a row from 1982 to 1995. He led his team to 18 40-win seasons, and 12 times his teams finished in the top 10. He led the Cowboys to 10 CWS appearances. He later became the head baseball coach at New Mexico State. During his tenure, he became only the 24th coach in college baseball history to gain 1,000 career wins. Coach Ward was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008.
 
Follow us social media @BaseballFwd and @RossHawley39. Visit www.baseballforward.com to join the movement!